Caroline Flack’s best friend Lou Teasdale has been gifted a heartwrenching portrait of the late presenter for Valentine’s Day by her boyfriend, footballer Andy Carroll. The 41-year-old celebrity hairdresser shared the emotional present on her Instagram Stories on Thursday night.
The artwork, created by acclaimed artists The Connor Brothers, features half of Caroline’s profile against a red background, alongside her poignant quote: 'In a world where you can be anything, be kind.' The signed print, available for £1,250 from Yield Gallery, left Lou overwhelmed after Andy purchased it for her. She wrote on her Stories: 'Ty [thank you] to my Valentine [broken heart emoji].'
The portrait originated from Caroline’s last photoshoot, which took place at The Connor Brothers’ studio just over two years before her death. An online description notes: 'She was a joy to work with, and her playful personality and appetite for life were infectious.' After her death, the artists put the final portrait up for sale to raise funds for suicide prevention charity CALM and NGO CHOOSE LOVE.
Caroline Flack, the former Love Island presenter, was found dead at her home in North East London on February 15, 2020. Her death was ruled a suicide in an inquest in August 2020. Lou had been caring for Caroline and had briefly left her home when the star took her life.
Last month, Lou shared a heartbreaking post about suicide, reflecting on her efforts to help Caroline. She wrote: 'Suicide has affected my life a lot over the past 10 years... I am currently working with an amazing charity Body and Soul.' She highlighted the charity’s six-month support programme for suicidal individuals, which boasts a 100% success rate with no reattempts.
